LIVE! Pope Francis names 17 new cardinals of the Catholic Church

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Sun, 09 October 2016

Pope Francis names 17 new cardinals of the Catholic Church

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21:20 Pope Francis names 17 new cardinals of the Catholic Church

Pope Francis has named 17 new cardinals of the Catholic Church, including 13 who are eligible to vote to elect his successor when he resigns or dies.

The new cardinals are mainly from developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The appointments on Sunday emphasise the growing influence at the Vatican of clerics from the developing world.

Only one of the new cardinals is from Italy, the nation that has dominated church politics for centuries.

Pope Francis, who celebrates his 80th birthday in December, is putting down important markers for the future of the Catholic Church.

Three of those named are American, his first promotions of US clerics to key positions in the church. They include the recently appointed archbishops of Chicago and Indianapolis.

The move reflects the success of Pope Francis' first visit to North America last year.

It is the third time Pope Francis has appointed new cardinals since his election in 2013 as the first Latin American to lead the Roman Catholic Church.

A case of culpable homicide notamounting to murder has been registered in connection with thedeath of a 13-year-old girl two days after she broke her68-day fast as part of a community ritual, police said.

"Based on a complaint lodged by a local child rights NGO with Market police station, the case was registered under section 304 (II) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of IPC and section 75 of JJ (Juvenile Justice) Act," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (North Zone) P Y Giri said.

In the complaint, the NGO has alleged that the girl's parents and her family members made her undertake the fast for 68 days as part of a ritual, Inspector M Mattaiah said.

"That is the allegation...we have to verify. Based on investigation, it (details) will come out," he added.

He said the girl's parents, who reside at Pot Bazar of Secunderabad, have already been questioned over her death.

An Indian businessman has paid a whopping $9 million (Rs 59 crore) to buy a single-digit car registration plate in Dubai, adding another coveted number plate to his collection.

Balwinder Sahani bought number plate "D5" at the Roads and Transport Authority's number plate auction yesterday.

Sahani, also known as Abu Sabah, is the owner of RSG International, a property management company, with interests in the UAE, Kuwait, India and the US. "I like collecting unique number plates and I am proud to have got this number. I like number nine and D5 adds up to nine, so I went for it," Sahani was quoted by saying by the Gulf News.

He said that last year he bought the vehicle number plate O9 for 25 million Dirhams. "I have collected 10 number plates so far and I am looking forward to having more. It's a passion. This number will go to one of my Rolls Royces," he added.

The number generated great interest among the participants with the bid starting at 20 million Dirham. More than 300 bidders participated at the live auction which takes place every two months, witnessing fierce battle between bidders for some unique numbers.

Ruby Rai, the Bihar School Examination Board Class XII (arts) topper of 2016 did not write the answer sheets on her own. Instead, the answer sheets were written by experts, according to forensic reports.

According to the report of the forensic science laboratory, the handwriting on the answer sheets of Rai were not hers, but of the experts who wrote for her, said Patna senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaj said.

Rai, the arts topper had failed to answer rudimentary questions during a media interaction soon after the results were announced last May. She had said prodigal (political) science was all about cooking. The video clip went viral, causing widespread condemnation of the education system in Bihar.

PLEASE READ: How Bihar colleges 'manufacture' toppers

The guns have today fallen silent along the border, but residents of frontier villages who were forced to flee their homes due to the continual violence refuse to return, fearing that this is just a lull before another round of hostilities.

Over two dozen "unprovoked" ceasefire violations by Pakistan have been reported after the Army announced that it carried out surgical strikes on terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control.

Bearing the brunt of the firing and shelling from across the border, thousands of residents from frontier villages in the Jammu region have been forced to seek shelter at safe camps set up by the administration.

"We want to return to our homes and tend to our crop and cattle, but we cannot take chances with our lives as we do not know when the Pakistani army will start shelling again," said 54-year-old Sheela Devi, who along with six members of her family, has taken shelter at a government school in Khoura.

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu visited Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who has been in Apollo Hospital since September 2. After his visit, the minister said, "Treatment is going on and she's recovering. Not fair on part of anybody to spread rumours."

Islamic State has lost more than a quarter of the territory it once controlled and the area under its hold in Iraq and Syria is roughly the size of Sri Lanka, according to new data.

Security and defence analysts say the terror group's control has reduced by 28 per cent since its height in January 2015.

In 2015, the Islamic State's territory shrunk from 90,800 sq km to 78,000 sq km, a net loss of 14 per cent. In the first nine months of this year, IS' territory fell from 78,000 sq km to 65,500 sq km.

As of October this year, the ISIS controls roughly 65,500 sq km in Iraq and Syria, which is roughly the size of Sri Lanka, they said.

As of July 4, 2016, the ISIS controlled roughly 68,300 sq km in Iraq and Syria, about the size of Ireland.

The Islamic State's losses in Syria over the last three months have been concentrated in northern Aleppo province, where Turkish proxy groups have pushed the jihadists back to around 10 km from the border.

In Iraq, government forces have secured Qayyarah Airbase in Iraq's Nineveh province, a critical staging area for the anticipated offensive to liberate Mosul.

However, IS losses have slowed in the three months to October. The terror group has lost just 2,800 sq km since July.

A dreaded Pakistani terrorist linked to the 2009 attack on Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore was killed in a joint operation by Afghan-US special forces in Afghanistan bordering Pakistan, a media report said.

Qari Ajmal, a leader of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangi who was involved in a number of high-profile attacks, was killed in eastern Afghanistan's Aurgon area of Paktika province, The Express Tribune quoted sources close to Taliban commanders as saying.

He had fled to Waziristan after the attack on Sri Lankan cricket team in which seven policemen were killed and seven players including Mahela Jayawaredene, Kumar Sangakkara, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Samaraweera, Tharanga Paranavitana and Chaminda Vaas were injured.

Ajmal was associated with Hakimullah Mehsood, the chief of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, who was killed in November 2013. He later fled to Afghanistan like many other Pakistani militants and had been living with Mehsud Taliban in Paktika province bordering Pakistan.

18:36

JUST IN: Ethiopia declares state of emergency.

18:07 Breakthrough in Goan perfumer's murder, cops nab 1 from Bengaluru

A man has been arrested fromBengaluru in connection with the murder of perfume specialist Monica Ghurde, whose naked body was found in her rented flat in Goa, police said today.

Rajkumar Singh, a native of Punjab, was nabbed late last night with help from the police of Karnataka capital and was being brought to Goa, a top official said.

A senior police official said they were tracking the movement of the accused during his journey through Maharashtra and Karnataka on the basis of his ATM transactions. After the murder, Singh took away Ghurde's ATM card and mobile phone.

Police sources said the accused had withdrawn money at several locations in Maharashtra, including Miraj (Sangli district) and Nashik, before travelling to Karnataka.

The 39-year-old's naked body was found at her rented flat in Sangolda village near Calangute beach in Goa on October 6.

Censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani today said actors' comments on the controversy surrounding the demand for a ban on Pakistani artistes in Bollywood should not be given importance and people should rather think about the country's soldiers.

Bollywood has been divided on the issue of the demand for the ban on Pakistani artistest in the wake of Uri attack. While Salman Khan, Karan Johar, Hansal Mehta and Anurag Kashyap have criticised it, many in the industry such as Ajay Devgn, Randeep Hooda, Sonali Bendre and Nana Patekar have supported the ban.

"Every Indian should think of the soldiers who are fighting terrorism and the enemy on the border. Actors are insignificant and we should not waste our energy on the issue of who said what on the issue, people should not give any importance to the statements they make," Nihalani told reporters.

He said that the country should show solidarity towards the soldiers for their fight against terrorism and everyone should work towards condemning and eradicating terrorism from the country.

"Terrorism is our biggest enemy and our soldiers are fighting it, the need of the hour is to show solidarity with our soldiers."

Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world, is on the verge of losing its pristine white shine due to the dense smog created by open burning of city garbage, a new study revealed.

The study has discovered that open burning of garbage causes 10 times more pollutant deposits on Taj Mahal than the recently banned burning of cow dung cakes.

Now, Pakistan is going on the offensive on the cultural front, with plans to "get back from India" a bronze Mohenjodaro statuette called 'Dancing Girl', a 4500-year-old artefact of which British archaeologist Mortimer Wheeler said, "There's nothing like her, I think, in the world."

The 10.5 centimetre high statuette, dating around 2500 BC, was discovered in 1926 from the ancient city Mohenjodaro of the Indus Valley Civilisation in Sindh, by British archaeologist Ernest Mackay. It's housed in New Delhi's National Museum, Pakistani media reported.

Syed Jamal Shah, the director general of Pakistan National Council of the Arts, is quoted by the Daily Times as saying the statue will be demanded under UNESCO conventions. He said that this is the first time that a request will be made about this to the Indian government and that "the purpose of seeking the return of 'Dancing Girl' "was to protect the heritage".

In a racially-motivated attack, a young woman's hijab was ripped off on a busy London street in broad daylight, prompting Scotland Yard to launch a probe into the assault.

The force is treating the incident in north London as a racially motivated assault on the victim in her 20s, who was described as "shocked and distressed" by the incident.

"This was a shocking attack in broad daylight in the middle of a busy street. Racially and religiously motivated crimes will not be tolerated. I would appeal to anyone who witnessed this attack to contact police," said Detective Constable Ben Cousin of the Metropolitan Police's Haringey Community Safety Unit.

The woman was walking with another female friend on the evening of September 28 when the attack took place. As they crossed the road, she was approached from behind by two men.

The Met police said one of them pulled down the hijab she was wearing before both fled the scene.

16:37

JUST IN: UP CM Akhilesh Yadav announces compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the family of people who died in stampede duringMayawati's rally in Lucknow

16:23 Brad Pitt will not be prosecuted, FBI closes case

Hollywood star Brad Pitt will not be prosecuted for the child abuse incident that allegedly occurred in September on a private jet.

The FBI never opened an investigation against the "Allied" actor, 52, because there was "no case", reported TMZ.

"The FBI is still working to gather the facts from the incident but the agency does not consider it an official investigation," sources said.

Pitt and his estranged wife, Angelina Jolie (who filed for divorce less than a week after incident occurred), were flying with their six children from Nice, France, to Burbank, California, on September 14.

It was earlier reported that the "Fight Club" actor got "verbally abusive and physical" with the kids, Maddox, 15, Pax, 12, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 10, and 8-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

Jolie, 41, filed for divorce on September 19, citing irreconcilable differences, and requested sole custody of the kids.

The former power couple have since reached a temporary custody agreement, which allows Pitt supervised visitation. He will also voluntarily take random drug and alcohol tests, his first of which came back negative.

Up to 90 per cent of the south of Haiti has been destroyed and 877 killed by Hurricane Matthew, said to be the most powerful Caribbean storm for decades.

CNN was criticised for its coverage of the disaster; despite the fatalities, Haiti was hardly mentioned in the networks coverage. Florida, which at the time suffered strong winds as the hurricane passed over it, had zero fatalities, but the network was broadcasting live footage of the storm from there.

Following the Paris terror attacks last year, Facebook gave its users the opportunity to temporarily change their profile pictures with a flag of France filter.

It also had a safety check feature available, to ensure the safety of family and friends in the area.

Similarly, Facebook offered the same services following the Orlando shooting in Pulse nightclub earlier this year, which killed 49.

However, as people have pointed out, despite the colossal fatalities as well as the homes destroyed and the families who have been separated as a result of the disaster, no such service exists for Haitians.

Interim Ukip leader Nigel Farage has waded into the crisis engulfing Donald Trump's US presidential bid, insisting the Republican candidate's obscene remarks about groping women amounted to "alpha male boasting".

Farage said the comments were "ugly", but stated that women also make remarks they would not want to see reported.

"Look, this is alpha male boasting. It's the kind of thing, if we are being honest, that men do. They sit around and have a drink and they talk like this.

"By the way, quite a lot of women say things amongst themselves that they would not want to see on Fox News, or the front page of a newspaper. I'm not pretending it's good - it's ugly, it is ugly."

For the first time in the judicial history of Kerala, the High Court of Kerala has got four women sitting Judges. The historical moment was created when Justice V. Shircy was appointed on Thursday. Other three female sitting Judges her are Justice P.V. Asha, Justice Anu Sivaraman and Justice Mary Joseph. Justice PV Asha and Justice Anu were appointed from the bar, while Justice Mary Joseph and Justice Shircy were appointed from the bench.

Read full story HERE

Multiple people have reportedly been shot outside a shopping centre in Michigan.

According to Grand Rapids Police's Twitter feed, multiple victims were hurt at a strip mall parking lot on 28th Street.

Police have rushed to the scene in large numbers.

14:43

JUST IN:Pakistan Army chief General Raheel Sharif visited Pakistani units along the LoC in Haji Pir Sector today.

14:43 Wear shorts in corridors, cover heads with dupatta at dinner: AMU girls battle sexist rules in hostels

Across several states, girls in hostels are battling patriarchal rules that prevent them from being out late in the evening and force them to adhere to a dress code, among other oppressive rules.

In Bhopals Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT), girls staged a demonstration against a ban on wearing miniskirts, nightgowns and shorts in the campus, dining room and hostel office area.

At Chennais Thiruvananthapuram Engineering College, girls protested the 6.30pm deadline, arguing that it prevented them from accessing the library that functioned till 8.30pm. When activists rallied behind their cause, college authorities were forced to roll back the deadline.

Read more HERE

A "silent march" will be taken out in Nagpur on October 25 as part of statewide mobilisation by Marathas for their demands like reservation in jobs and education, but the Kunbis, a dominant community in Vidarbha region, have been excluded from the agitation.

With cracks seem to be developing between the two factions of the community, the Sakal Maratha Samaj, which is organising the silent march in the city, has excluded the Kunbis from the protest.

On October 25, the march will start from Reshimbagh and trek through Cotton Market, Tekdi Road and Sitabuldi to reach Kasturchand Park. From there, it will proceed to the district collector's office with young girls carrying a memorandum of demands.

It will be a silent march and follow all norms like being non-political and maintaining cleanliness that the community is adhering to in different cities, the organisers said.

One person has died and 22 others have been injured after a stampede at Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati's rally in Uttar Pradesh.

Several children are also reportedly missing after broke out at the rally.

Earlier, during the rally, the BSP chief attacked the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at Centre and accused it of spreading hatred and communalism in Uttar Pradesh.

Hitting out at Akhilesh Yadav government for deteriorating law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh, she said the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh has disappointed the people completely.

Image: Crowds at BSP chief Mayawati's rally. Photograph: Sandeep Pal

Indian-Americans rallied behind Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton after surfacing of lewd comments against women by Republican candidate Donald Trump, which the community members described as "predatory and sickening".

Indian-Americans have traditionally been Democratic supporters but during this election cycle, quite a few of them had leaned towards Trump because of his strong views on terrorism and Pakistan.

Kamala Harris, who is running for US Senate from California, said Trump's comments are "predatory and they make me sick. They are vile and Trump must be stopped".

"Donald Trump had long disqualified himself from this race through his bigoted, racist, and sexist agenda and this should be the final straw for any Republican elected officials who still support him," she said.

Her remarks came after a 2005 video of Trump surfaced yesterday in which he is making lewd remarks about women, just a month left for the November 8 election.

Harris said Washington is not a "boys' locker room". "It's a place where we need diverse leadership including more women in public office who will serve as role models for a generation of children that need to know sexual assault is wrong."

"Indian-Americans deserve better than Donald Trump," said community leader Rajdeep Singh Jolly. "As a community, we should champion the cause of gender equality, not pander politicians who demean our mothers, sisters, and daughters."

13:11

BREAKING: 4 wounded in shooting attack in east Jerusalem, according to police and medics

12:54 Tension in Nashik after rape of 5-yr-old girl

A five-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a teenage boy at Trimbakeshwar which led to tension as angry villagers protested at several places in the district demanding his immediate arrest, police said today.

The boy has been taken into custody, they said.

In view of the situation, Nashik Police Commissioner Ravindra Singhal has appealed people to maintain peace.

The 16-year-old boy allegedly raped the girl at an isolated place at Talegaon village under Trimbakeshwar taluka in the district yesterday, Trimbakeshwar police station in-charge Mukund Deshmukh said.

As soon as the news spread, tension gripped Talegoan as locals gathered at the police station last night demanding that the boy be booked and arrested.

The villagers also staged 'rasta roko' in Wadovhare, Ghoti and Anjaneri-phata areas. Some people set tyres on fire, and also damaged a tractor in Talegaon.

12:27

Here's an update on the radioactive leak at Delhi airport. Delhi Police says leaked material is medicinal in nature. NDRF on the spot.

12:27 Suspected radioactive leak at Delhi airport cargo terminal

JUST IN: Suspected radioactive leak from medical equipment atcargo terminal of IGI airport, say officials.

Fire engines and disaster response teams have been sent to the Delhi airport's cargo terminal after reports of a radioactive leak, officials said on Sunday.

The BJP government in Chhattisgarh transferred an IAS officer following his comments about the late Jan Sangh leader Deendayal Upadhyay on Facebook.

A senior official of the state government said that the officer, Shiv Anant Tayal, who was the CEO of Kanker Zilla Parishad, was transferred to the state Secretariat.

BJP is currently celebrating the birth centenary of Deendayal Upadhyay.

Tayal, a 2012 batch IAS officer, had posted a critical comment about Upadhyay's contribution on Facebook on Friday, after which, BJP leaders demanded action against him.

However, he had later expressed regret on the same networking site over his post.

"The government is going to issue him a show-cause notice regarding the Facebook post," the official said.

After BJP hoardings threatening to "hit" Pakistan in their own territory came up in communally sensitive Muzaffarnagar, a local Samajwadi Party leader has also put up a hoarding claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered the surgical strike only after consulting with SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Mohammed Shamsher Malik, the district president of the Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha, confirmed that he had ordered the hoardings to be put up.

In the hoarding, placed at Novelty Chowk in the city, pictures of SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, CM Akhilesh Yadav and Malik can be seen, along with a message thanking the Indian Army for the surgical strike, and Mulayam, "on whose advice the Indian government carried out the strike".

The hoarding goes on to declare, in an obvious reference to the BJP, "The Indian Army which carried out the strike and enhanced India's pride globally are heroes; those who play toxic politics in the name of the Army are zeroes."

Over a few weeks in the summer of 2011, India and Pakistan staged two of the bloodiest cross-border surgical strikes in which at least 13 soldiers were killed, and six of them decapitated. Five of those heads were carried across the border as trophies -- two to Pakistan and three to India.

The Pakistani raiders struck a remote army post in Gugaldhar ridge in Kupwara, on the afternoon of July 30, 2011, surprising the six soldiers from the Rajput and Kumaon regiments.

The 19 Rajput Battalion was to be replaced by 20 Kumaon around the time the Pakistani Border Action Team struck. The attacking team took back the heads of Havildar Jaipal Singh Adhikari and Lance Naik Devender Singh of 20 Kumaon. A soldier of the 19 Rajput, who reported the attack, died later in a hospital.

In revenge, the Indian Army planned Operation Ginger, which would turn out to be one of the deadliest cross-border raids carried out by the Indian Army in recent memory.

To carry out the revenge attack at least seven reconnaissance physical and air surveillance mounted on UAV missions were carried out to identify potential targets.

Read full story HERE

Jawaharlal Nehru University's plan to introduce short-term courses in Indian culture and yoga is unlikely to take off, with the university's top decision-making body rejecting a proposal in this regard for the second time.

The proposal to introduce three short-term courses in these subjects had come last year against the backdrop of right-wing organisations, including the RSS, insisting on propagation of culture in educational campuses to promote India's rich heritage and restore its cultural identity.

Following various communications from the HRD ministry and the University Grants Commission, JNU had last year circulated a draft of three courses among its various schools and departments for their feedback.

The proposal was rejected by the Academic Council, the university's statutory decision making body, in November. However, the varsity had in May decided to reconsider it and the departments were asked to rework on the proposed course structure and place the same before the council.

Describing Donald Trump's lewd remarks about groping women, shortly after his third marriage in 2005, as "unacceptable and offensive", his wife Melania Trump exhorted the people to accept his apology, just as she has.

"The words my husband used are unacceptable and offensive to me. This does not represent the man that I know. He has the heart and mind of a leader," Trump's wife said in a rare public statement, following a video that surfaced recently in which Trump was caught on mic making extremely lewd and sexually offensive remarks against women.

Melania, Trump's wife of 11 years and a former Slovenian model, said she hopes people will accept her husband's apology "as I have, and focus on the important issues facing our nation and the world."

Trump, 70, had married his third wife Melania, 46, in 2005. He was newly married in 2005 when he spoke in an uncovered video about trying to have sex with married women and groping others without permission.

The Centre has warned employees of disciplinary action if they indulge in criticism of the government or its policies.

The move comes after officers of the Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise) and All India Association of Central Excise Gazetted Executive Officers among others suggested changes in Goods and Services Tax Network -- a private company tasked with creating Information Technology infrastructure for Gods and Services Tax, and composition of revenue secretary-led GST council secretariat.

"Of late, it has been noticed that some associations or federations have commented adversely on the government and its policies. It may be brought to the notice of all associations or federations that if anyone indulges in criticism of the government and its policies, appropriate action (including disciplinary action) shall be taken," an order issued recently by finance ministry said.

It cited service rules that bar any government servant from making any adverse criticism of any policy or action of the government.

The Centre has declined to make public a panel's report on the death of research scholar Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad University.

Replying to an RTI query, it said that the file concerned is "under submission" and a copy of the report cannot be provided.

"The file concerned is under submission. Therefore, copy of report cannot be provided at this point of time," the human resource development ministry said in reply to an RTI query filed by PTI.

It did not cite any provision of the Right to Information Act in declining the information.

A government department is expected to mention relevant provision of the RTI Act under which information is being withheld.

09:48 3 police officers shot dead in California

Palm Springs, California, witnessed the brutal killing of three police officers on Saturday, and so far there's been no word on the assailants' identities. A massive hunt has been launched for the killers.

The killings come in the wake of a Los Angeles county sheriff's police aide being shot dead in Lancaster.

Details soon.

Image used for representational purposes only

A fragment of plane wing discovered in Mauritius in May has been confirmed as coming from missing plane Malaysia Airlines MH370, Australia's Transport Safety Bureau said in a statement on Friday.

It is the third piece of debris to be definitively linked to MH370, Australia's transport minister Darren Chester said Friday.

"It does not, however, provide information that can be used to determine a specific location of the aircraft," Chester said.

The plane wing fragment was discovered in Mauritius on 10 May 2016, and was delivered to the ATSB for investigation.

At least 155 people were killed in Saudi-led airstrikes that hit a funeral home in Yemen's capital of Sanaa, two health ministry officials said Saturday.

No other details were immediately available.

The Saudi-led coalition, involving several Arab countries, began a military campaign in Yemen in March 2015 aimed at preventing Houthi rebels allied to Iran and forces loyal to Yemen's deposed President Ali Abdullah Saleh from taking power.

The conflict that has left millions in need of aid and pushed communities to the brink of famine.

An estimated 10,000 people have been killed in what many term the "forgotten war," according to the UN.

00:31 Top headlines of the last hour

German police find 'highly explosive' materials in terror-plot manhunt

Defiant Trump says not quitting Presidential race

Mahira Khan condemns Uri attack

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